Hello,
I own a Kenwood TM-261, and plan on using it with Digiring. It uses an 8-pin microphone connector that resembles a phone or Ethernet cable. Does anyone know whether it can be used with digirig? If so, what cables should I get? Thank you in advance.
73
EDIT: This answer was later corrected, please see below.
I found a service manual for TM-261 and here’s the pinout info for the MIC:
This matches RJ-45 cable for ICOM:
Please let me know how it went if you decide to give it a try.
I’ve now ordered my Digirig and the RJ-45 cables and will keep you updated. Anything else I need to buy? (I already have a good usb-c cable)
You should be all set with what you got.
I just received everything. Everything seems to be working, but I can’t get the PTT to turn on. Any ideas on how to fix this?
Check out this video for PTT config and troubleshooting:
I was going to try that but ended up successfully using the same digirig and cables on a club rig, an Icom IC-706MK2G. In that case, both the digirig and the cables are working fine; it must be the radio. Any ideas on how to fix this?
Give it another try with your own radio and if that doesn’t work, try troubleshooting method from the video to see if that triggers the PTT.
@WGrav Were you able to get the cables working with the TM-261? I use my 261 weekly for Nets, but would love to also use it for Winlink and/or APRS.
I could not. The cables were working fine with other radios, but wouldn’t activate the PTT of the tm-261
If the 261 is the same as the 271 then it is a different pin out than the the IC 706. I have a IC 706 cable and use a RJ45 jumper to make my TM 271 work.
Here’s the pinout from the manual again:
1229_TM-261_TM-461_user_manual.pdf (2.6 MB)
Under closer examination, the pinout does not line up with the ICOM RJ-45 cable or with any other RJ-45 cables currently in store.
The cable should look like this:
RJ-45 pin 4 (STBY PTT) → 3.5mm TRRS ring2 (RIG_PTT)
RJ-45 pin 5 (GND MIC) → 3.5mm TRRS sleeve (GND)
RJ-45 pin 6 (MIC) → 3.5mm TRRS ring 1 (RIG_AFIN)
3.5mm TRS tip (SPK) → 3.5mm TRRS tip (RIG_AFOUT)
3.5mm TRS sleeve (GND) → 3.5mm TRRS sleeve (GND)
It does appear that the 271 and 261 have the same basic pinout. A custom “crossover” cable like the one I built should be a good short run solution. Funny how different manufacturers number the pins differently. As a friend once said, “the beautiful thing about standards is everyone has their own.”
Pic from TM-271 manual.
I stumbled back onto this thread after not seeing the replies, and last night I got my TM-261a out of storage and made the custom cable using the pin out @K0TX provided, and sure enough it worked!! I started Direwolf and YAAC and I was receiving and transmitting in no time. I’m now going to work on a dedicated APRS station using the Kenwood TM-261a. Thanks @K0TX!
Thank you for your confirmation and congrats on your success!
